Although it ended in disappointing fashion, Arsenal appear intent on capitalising upon a season of progress and promise by investing heavily in a talented but under-manned squad.
The Gunners spent £150m last summer, largely to overhaul their defence, and could splash out a similar amount to give their attack a makeover this year following the departures of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January and Alexandre Lacazette this month.
Portugal U21 playmaker Fabio Vieira has already joined from Porto in a deal that could be worth £35m if certain clauses are met with Gabriel Jesus set to follow imminently after a £45m transfer was agreed with Manchester City. Raphinha is another top target with Leeds said to be holding out for £65m for the winger, although Arsenal could face competition from Champions League clubs for his signature.
Should Arsenal succeed in persuading Raphinha to swap Elland Road for the Emirates, it would leave Mikel Arteta with an array of attacking options to pick from, with two players for every position: Bukayo Saka and Raphinha on the right wing (assuming Nicolas Pepe leaves), Martin Odegaard and Vieira in the No 10 position, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe on the left and Jesus and Eddie Nketiah up front. More exciting still is that Jesus would be the elder statesman of that particular group at just 25.
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Jesus’ impending arrival sees the Brazilian reunite with Arteta: the pair worked together at City for two years during Arteta’s spell as Pep Guardiola’s assistant. That link has surely played a role in Jesus’ decision to trade in Champions League football for the Europa League, as has the promise of a more significant first-team role in north London than he has ever been accustomed to in Manchester.
In some ways, Jesus is an intriguing character to build a frontline around, given he tended to play more as a wide forward than through the middle in his final campaign at the Etihad. A record of 95 goals in 236 games for City isn’t to be sniffed at, particularly given he was rarely afforded a run of starts as a striker, nor is a return of one goal in every three appearances for Brazil but it will be interesting to see whether more consistent game-time will translate to a higher conversion rate.
Jesus underperformed his expected goals (xG) in each of his five-and-a-half Premier League seasons at City, massively so in 2020-21 when he returned 14 goals from an xG of 21.02, according to Understat. Clearly, though, Arteta has faith that Jesus can be the sharp-shooter that Arsenal sorely lacked throughout last season – Bukayo Saka top-scored with 11 league goals, a total bettered by 13 players in the division, while each of the four clubs that finished above Arsenal in the table had superior goal records.
That Arsenal pursued a deal for Jesus is a demonstration that both technical director Edu Gaspar and Arteta’s judgements are trusted. And if Jesus can finetune his finishing, it will prove to be a masterstroke.
Interest in Raphinha is also intriguing. Arsenal aren’t exactly short of having left-footed players that can play on the right wing with Saka, Pepe and even Odegaard, all having done so for Arteta in the past. Buying another is hardly a priority, but acquiring a craftsman of Raphinha’s class would represent a significant statement of intent given the sky-high standard of his performances over the past two years and there is no question that he would enhance Arteta’s options considerably.
With the contentious five substitutes rule returning in 2022-23, it is little surprise that top clubs are looking to stockpile their squads with at least two players of roughly similar ability for each position. It could even lead to a positional switch for Saka, who initially made his first-team breakthrough playing on his strongest side. Jurgen Klopp did similar after bringing Mo Salah to Liverpool in 2017, with Sadio Mane switching from the right wing to the left: suffice to say that particular move worked out pretty well.
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So far, that doesn’t seem to be the case; Arsenal have bounced back from a dispiriting run-in in eye-catching fashion. With Chelsea adapting to a new ownership structure and Manchester United slow to get their Erik ten Hag rebuild off the ground, Arsenal’s decisive action could stand them in good stead for the start of the new season in just over four weeks.
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Arteta used a 4-2-3-1 formation or variation of throughout last season and given the profile of player Arsenal are targeting this summer it seems unlikely that Arteta will deviate away from that too much.
Nketiah will expect a more prominent role in the squad after enjoying a strong end to 2021-22, signing a new contract, and inheriting Thierry Henry’s old No 14 shirt. But Jesus will be the leading man in attack and likely to be flanked by Saka and Raphinha, should Arsenal sanction a club-record fee for the latter.
Arteta is a huge fan of Odegaard and his position as No 10 is safe despite Vieira’s arrival.
The benefit of adding depth in key areas means that Arteta will have more game-changing options on the bench for Premier League matches where five substitutes will be allowed and the option to refresh his side to cope with a tightly congested season and additional matches that participation in the Europa League will bring.
Arsenal already look to have a stronger squad now than they did just a few weeks ago, with Vieira and USA international goalkeeper Matt Turner signed up and Jesus to follow. So much so that a fully changed XI would still contain William Saliba – fresh from an excellent season on loan with Marseille – in defence and Martinelli and Smith Rowe in attack.
And it is indicative of the club’s recent squad building that a team comprised of players aged 24 and under wouldn’t be all that different from Arteta’s strongest side. Central midfield pair Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka (both 29) are the most experienced members of the squad.
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